Mental health fair highlights Black LGBTQ+ community
Washington, DC-based mental health organization Onyx Therapy Group has announced its inaugural Mental Health Fair.
The Health Fair will feature a wide-range of Black owned local businesses, raffle prizes, panel discussions, and a morning yoga class. A community-focused event aimed at raising awareness and money for those in the Black/Brown and LGBTQ+ communities that cannot afford therapy, the funds raised will help to pay for their sessions.
Led by Onyx’s CEO & Founder, Dr. LaNail R. Plummer, the event is free-to-the-public and will provide resources and information to better help manage our own mental health journeys and break the stigma around mental health conversations.
“When I co-founded Onyx Therapy Group 9 years ago, I was focused on providing help and healing to the Black community that is disproportionately traumatized, and was unable to find therapists that looked like them or could relate to them,” explains Plummer. “As we grow, this mission and vision remains the same and now it’s time to go to the community instead of inviting them to us. We are showing up, showing out, and letting them know it’s safe to be their full selves and heal from society’s traumatizing projections that are placed on us!”
What’s On the Agenda
Kicking off at 11AM with a morning yoga class led by Replenish Yoga founder Dr. Jacquelyn “Jai” Crouch-Pelham, 50% of proceeds for the class will go towards Onyx’s goal of raising upwards of $5,000. You can register for the morning yoga class here.
Then beginning at 12PM until 5PM, attendees will be able to browse through over 20 different Black-owned vendors including luxury candle company District Home; Flikshop, a brand aimed at ending recidivism and connecting inmates to their loved ones; party balloon company Make Room 4 Balloons; vegan luggage company T|W Tote; health & wellness brand Tanji Skincare; vegan energy drink company VeganQueenCuisine; coffee company Others Coffee; artist Roger Anthony Art, and much more.
The afternoon will feature two 1-hour panel discussions with the first kicking off at 1:30PM and titled “Good Grief: Looking at Loss & Bereavement in Relationships.” A conversation focused on the different types of grief we experience in relationships that are either familial, platonic, or romantic, Dr. Plummer will be the host and joined by grief & trauma expert Dr. Ajita Robinson, couples therapist Dr. Racine Henry, and Certified Thanatologist, Dr. Tashel Bordere.
Then at 3PM, Dr. Plummer will host a second panel discussion titled “I am not my hair…or am I? Black Women’s Relationships with Our Hair,” featuring fellow panelists Deana Kennedy from Onyx’s Grown A** Woman YouTube series, attorney Zaire McCarroll, and public speaker PhiXavier Holmes. The four women will dive into Black/Brown relationships with our hair, discussing signature styles, issues around the Crown Act, and how we as Black women can own our hair choices.
“As Black people, our intra-cultural history is often told through stories, conversations, and the dissemination of spoken communication,” says Dr. Plummer. “As such, it makes sense to bring light to issues that face us, like the various forms of grief (more than just death) and our relationship with ourselves, through our hair and culture. These panels are conversation starters, healing cornerstones, cultural language, and the space for all of us to be seen. The panels will reflect the Black Community and spark healing because that’s what we are…healers.”
About Onyx Therapy Group
Onyx Therapy Group is an organization that has over 50 years of experience in Mental Health work, Education and Skill-based practice and is dedicated to serving and strengthening the Black/Brown and LGBTQ+ communities. Dr. Plummer and her team of over 30 ALL Black/women of color, have been breaking the stigmas around mental health through publications such as TIME Magazine, Essence, Forbes, NBC, Good Housekeeping, the TODAY Show, and many many more. With 9 offices throughout Washington, D.C., Maryland , Pennsylvania, and Minnesota, Onyx is at the forefront of the Mental Health conversation and are looking forward to continuing to do the work to ensure that everyone can attain emotional, spiritual and cultural healing.
Taking place on Sunday, April 24th from 11AM-5PM the fair will be hosted at Union Market’s Auto Shop venue in the NorthEast quadrant of DC.
For more information on Onyx Therapy Group and how you can donate to the cause, follow them online at @onyxtherapygroup or visit www.onyxtherapygroup.com.
You can donate to the cause by sending your donation through CashApp ($OnyxTherapyGroup) or via PayPal to Emc2educational@gmail.com.
